祥興 (Cheung Hing), Happy Valley, Hong Kong

I am here at breakfast time for an early Lunch Quest (from a short while ago as I have a bit of a backlog). I am in a 'cha chaan teng', literally a tea restaurant that is a few minutes walk from my flat. This local cafe does not have an English name (you can see this from the sign of their unassuming shop front in the photograph below) so the phonetic translation is 'Cheung Hing'.

The shop front

It is a fairly famous restaurant as some photographs of local celebrities and newspaper clippings adorn the walls. I am not sure when it was established but it is likely it has never been refurbished. The furniture is still functional though, but I foresee this place getting a little cramped when it gets busy.

However, there were only a few diners as I walked in so was able to get a table easily to myself. There is no English on the menu, apart from some letters designating set meals. Needless to say I ordered an 'A' meal. In truth I do know some Chinese characters so I sort of knew what I was going to get.

Macaroni & Tea

My order arrived very quickly, with the first component of the meal being macaroni with ham. My drink, which was a tea, came next. The third part of my meal, which is not pictured, was two fried eggs and two slices of bread.

The macaroni was in a clear soup base, probably chicken stock, garnished with shreds of processed ham. The tea was hot and strong and in these type of cafes they are served with evaporated milk, giving it a distinct taste. I can drink it this way but am more accustomed to using standard milk. The eggs were freshly fried over-easy and the bread was soft and white, with the crusts cut off, from which I made an egg sandwich out of.

Overall the food in this place is more than edible, it was served in plastic bowl and plate, but I did get a porcelain tea cup and saucer. It is a cheap, efficient and unassuming cafe and a filling way to start the day.

Total bill: $28, about £2.50

I ate: All the above.

I drank: Tea.

I wore: not pyjamas.